1. BOW STAYING PUT: The IMG-owned Bank of the West Classic announced that it isn’t going anywhere. At least through ‘12. After rumors swirled that the event had outgrown its venue and would soon be on the move two years ago, IMG announced that the BOW will remain at Stanford for at least another three years.
2. THREE STRIKES AND YOU’RE OUT: Peter Pearson, 53, faces a third strike that could put behind bars for life after he was arrested for a pulling a string of Peninsula bank robberies. Police recognized him in surveillance film taken during a June 8 heist at a California Bank and Trust branch. Pearson was on probation, having been released 18 months prior after serving time on a drug conviction. The smooth-stroking lefthander from Sunnyvale attended USC on a tennis scholarship and later rose to No. 118 in the world. But his friends said he started a crack cocaine habit on tour. A much different court from the one he mastered as a child star will decide his fate.
3. SLUGFEST: UC-Santa Cruz captured its third D3 men’s team title in five years via a 5-0 sweep of Amherst College. “I look back on it, and I’m amazed,” said Slugs head coach Bob Hansen. “The team was without a ton of stars, and there was such a premium on us doing well in doubles.” Added Hansen, who has now won six team titles, “I’m always wondering if we’re ever going to win another because of the talent coming in. I’m old enough now to think that could be my last.”
4. IT’S A BEAR MARKET: Following years of post-season struggles, the Cal women have apparently become quite accustomed to May Madness success. For the second straight year, the Golden Bears advanced all the way to the NCAA team final at Texas A&M, where they fell to No. 3-ranked Duke in the title tilt. It looks as if Amanda Augustus’ crew has emerged as a bona fide D1 powerhouse and should be a Final Four threat for years to come.
5. ANOTHER CASE OF VANISHING COURTS?: Cathedral Hill Plaza Athletic Club became the latest club to have its courts come under the threat of extinction should plans go through to erect a 407-foot-high condo. Opponents of a New York developer’s proposed construction insist that the “ghostly white glass structure would be visible from much of The City.” Other developers have threatened courts at Golden Gateway and the Presidio, but so far have been foiled at SFTC, after forces for recreational space found City Hall allies.
6. CAL’S DOUBLES DYNASTY: The No. 7-ranked duo of Mari Andersson/Jana Juricova defeated No. 8-ranked Hilary Barte/Lindsay Burdette of Stanford 6-3, 6-4 to capture the NCAA Division I Women’s Doubles Championship. The tandem became the fifth Cal doubles team to win the crown and the first since ‘03.
7. MARION WHO?: The list of potential winners of ‘09 Bank of the West Classic was fairly long when the tournament began: the Williams sisters, Elena Dementieva, Jelena Jankovic or Maria Sharapova. But veteran Marion Bartoli, who has spent much of her career winning smaller crowns, pulling the occasional upset (i.e. her shocker over Justine Henin in the ‘07 Wimbledon semi), played a gutsy and relentless final in stunning Venus Williams 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 to win the title. The Frenchwoman called her win “the best effort I ever gave on the tennis court.”
8. NEW DIGS: USTA NorCal announced that it will uproot its Alameda headquarters at 1350 South Loop Road, but the organization isn’t going far. According to Section president Marjorie Peterman, pending final legalities and architectural upgrades, USTA NorCal will move into a new Alameda location in February. The move comes after extensive exploration, discussion and debate.
9. THE WORM THAT GOT THE FISH: For the 10th time in 12 career finals, Mardy Fish went home a loser. This time around, the loss was courtesy of Czech Radek Stepanek, who rallied from one set down to top Fish 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the SAP Open final at the HP Pavilion. It’s getting in [my head],” confided Fish, who had defeated Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Martin Del Potro and James Blake en route to the final. Stepanek, a runner-up to Andy Roddick in ‘08, performed his trademark “Worm” dance on the court after the final. Which begs the question: In this case, did the Worm get the Fish?
10. ANDRE ‘N’ STEFFI SIGHTING: It’s not often that tennis fans catch an up-close-and-personal glimpse of either Andre Agassi or Steffi Graf in these post-retirement days, let alone see them both in action on the same court. But that’s exactly what was in store for fans at the Esurance Tennis Classic, which also brought the likes of Tracy Austin, Michael Chang, Brad Gilbert, the Jensen Bros., Conchita Martinez, Bud Collins and Barry MacKay to Mill Valley’s Harbor Point TC. Surprisingly, Andre and Steffi fell to Mr. and Mrs. Chang (former Stanford standout Amber Liu) in a fun-loving one-set exo.
